.05 500
Sandown Park, VIC (10/9/1989)
Circuit Length: 3.1 km
Race Distance: 161 laps
Weather: Sunny
There very nearly wasn't a Sandown 500. The circuit's promoters had struggled to find a title sponsor for their marquee race after Castrol's departure after 1987. In the end, like Calder, the LCCA did a deal with Vic Health to sponsor the race. In return, this would mean a ban on tobacco advertising, which upset CAMS and the affected teams. After a lot of debate - and a day in court - the race eventually went ahead with the tobacco-sponsored teams and the full sponsorship of Vic Health.
After Oran Park garnered only a thin entry for Pepsi 300, all of the teams serious about winning Bathurst fronted at Sandown. The Holden factory finally made their first appearance for 1989. A late deal with Larry Perkins to run the operation saw one brand new car for Win Percy/Perkins, and Perkins' ATCC car for Crompton/Steve Harrington in a new black and white livery. Brock debuted a new car, as were Toyota Team Australia in the baby class. Former F1 World Champions Alan Jones and Denny Hulme combined in the second B&H car, while Glenn Seton had persuaded John Goss to co-drive the Peter Jackson Sierra. Johnson ended up fastest after Saturday's Top 10 runoff, held on a drying track after a dose of Melbourne "liquid sunshine".
Johnson got a bad start from the pole, allowing Brock, Miedecke, Seton and Alan Jones to beat him to the first corner. Allan Moffat lasted all of two laps in what would prove to be the legendary man's last race in his adopted country. Attrition would hit all the Sierra runners; Brock and Radisich led until a suspension issue caused their retirement, both B&H cars quit with engine issues, and the second Shell car was delayed with a misfire. By half distance, Bowe was in front being chased by Charlie O'Brien. O'Brien was throwing everything into the chase of the leader, bouncing the Kenwood car over the kerbs. The kerb-hopping would take its toll, breaking a half-shaft just before the 100th lap. The decimation of the Sierra attack left the way clear for the Nissans and Commodores, and when the Johnson pitted with turbo issues late in the race it was Mark Skaife that went into the lead. Richards elected to let Skaife double-stint to the end, the youngster eventually winning by a lap.
| Position | Number | Entrant | Drivers | Car | Class | Race Time/Laps | Retirement Cause | Fastest Time | Qualifying Time | Grid Position | Top 10 Time |
|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nissan Motor Sport | Jim Richards / Mark Skaife | Nissan Skyline GTS-R HR-31 | A | 3h35m09.18s | | 1m17.86s | 1m16.25s | 5 | 1m24.29s (Richards) |
| 2 | 16 | Holden Racing Team | Win Percy / Larry Perkins | Holden Commodore VL (TWR) | A | 160 laps | | 1m18.60s | 1m17.49s | 11 | |
| 3 | 3 | Nissan Motor Sport | George Fury / Graeme Bowkett | Nissan Skyline GTS-R HR-31 | A | 160 laps | | 1m18.45s | 1m17.06s | 8 | 1m27.38s (Fury) |
| 4 | 30 | Peter Jackson Racing | Glenn Seton / John Goss | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 159 laps | | 1m17.27s | 1m16.82s | 6 | 1m25.07s (Seton) |
| 5 | 17 | Shell Ultra Hi Racing | Dick Johnson / John Bowe | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 159 laps | | 1m17.03s | 1m15.22s | 1 | 1m20.61s (Johnson) |
| 6 | 7 | Holden Racing Team | Neil Crompton / Steve Harrington | Holden Commodore VL (TWR) | A | 155 laps | | 1m19.75s | 1m18.28s | 13 | |
| 7 | 105 | Mobil 1 Racing | Brad Jones / Mark Larkham / Peter Brock | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 155 laps | | 1m18.05s | 1m17.26s | 9 | 1m28.75s (Jones) |
| 8 | 6 | Miedecke Motorsport | Andrew Miedecke / Charlie O'Brien | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 154 laps | | 1m17.02s | 1m16.23s | 4 | 1m23.84s (Miedecke) |
| 9 | 86 | Gemspares | Darryl Hendrick / John White | Holden Commodore VL (TWR) | A | 148 laps | | 1m24.22s | 1m22.96s | 21 | |
| 10 | 32 | Toyota Team Australia | John Faulkner / Peter McKay | Toyota Corolla AE92 Hatch | C | 143 laps | | 1m27.89s | 1m28.65s | 26 | |
| 11 | 33 | Toyota Team Australia | Michael Dowson / Neal Bates | Toyota Corolla AE92 Hatch | C | 142 laps | | 1m28.93s | 1m29.29s | 24 | |
| 12 | 22 | Lusty Engineering P/L | Alf Costanzo / Graham Lusty | Holden Commodore VL (TWR) | A | 136 laps | | 1m20.21s | 1m19.47s | 16 | |
| 13 | 50 | W. R. Bryce | Brett Riley / Ludwig Finauer | BMW M3 | B | 134 laps | | 1m21.07s | 1m20.60s | 18 | |
| 14 | 78 | Team Madison Racing | Geoff Full / Michael Adcock | Toyota Corolla AE86 Liftback | C | 133 laps | | 1m32.11s | 1m31.63s | 29 | |
| 15 | 39 | David Sala | Richard Vorst / David Sala | Toyota Corolla AE82 Hatch | C | 130 laps | | 1m28.00s | 1m28.48s | 25 | |
| 16 | 54 | Clive Smith | Clive Smith / Paul Trevethan | Nissan Skyline DR-30 | A | 128 laps | | 1m25.61s | 1m25.21s | 22 | |
| 17 | 14 | Murray Carter | Murray Carter / John Mann | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 122 laps | | 1m20.84s | 1m21.00s | 19 | |
| NC | 51 | Bob Holden Motors | Dennis Rogers / Mark Ducquet / Kevin O'Neill | Toyota Corolla AE86 Liftback | C | 105 laps | insufficient laps | 1m17.80s | 1m32.08s | 30 | |
| NC | 13 | Bob Holden Motors | Bob Holden / Tim Hall | Toyota Corolla AE86 Liftback | C | 98 laps | insufficient laps | 1m31.81s | 1m30.77s | 28 | |
| NC | 36 | P. J. Hudson | Ian Carrig / Ian Clark / Peter Hudson | BMW 635CSi | A | 95 laps | insufficient laps | 1m31.89s | 1m28.57s | 27 | |
| DNF | 18 | Shell Ultra Hi Racing | Jeff Allam / Tony Noske | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 111 laps | broken fuel fitting | 1m29.65s | 1m17.23s | 10 | 1m29.57s (Allam) |
| DNF | 23 | Beaurepaires | Chris Lambden / Greg Crick | Holden Commodore VL (TWR) | A | 90 laps | head gasket | 1m21.28s | 1m19.72s | 17 | |
| DNF | 55 | Playscape Racing Australia | Kevin Waldock / Bryan Thomson | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 87 laps | overheating | 1m19.81s | 1m17.88s | 12 | |
| DNF | 20 | Benson & Hedges Racing | Alan Jones / Denny Hulme | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 87 laps | head gasket | 1m17.27s | 1m16.25s | 7 | 1m25.42s (Jones) |
| DNF | 25 | Benson & Hedges Racing | Tony Longhurst / Neville Crichton | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 75 laps | head gasket | 1m16.99s | 1m15.27s | 3 | 1m23.59s (Longhurst) |
| DNF | 28 | Joe Sommariva | Joe Sommariva / Warren KcKellar | BMW 635CSi | A | 61 laps | | 1m28.13s | 1m25.78s | 23 | |
| DNF | 05 | Mobil 1 Racing | Peter Brock / Paul Radisich | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 53 laps | broken front strut | 1m17.09s | 1m16.17s | 2 | 1m21.15s (Brock) |
| DNF | 24 | Jagparts Racing | Gerald Kay / Alf Grant | Holden Commodore VL (TWR) | A | 12 laps | head gasket | 1m26.49s | 1m22.57s | 20 | |
| DNF | 9 | Allan Moffat Enterprises | Allan Moffat / Gregg Hansford | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 2 laps | engine | 1m20.77s | 1m19.68s | 15 | |
| DNF | 19 | Caltex CXT Race Team | Colin Bond / Garry Rogers / Ken Mathews | Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 | A | 2 laps | engine | 1m29.24s | 1m18.30s | 14 | |
| DNS | 29 | Capri Components | Lawrie Nelson / Tino Leo | Ford Mustang | A | | | | | 31 | |
| DNS / EXC | 42 | Matt Wacker | Matt Wacker / Mike King | Holden Commodore VL (TWR) | A | | illegal bodywork | | 1m23.65s | | |